Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1887-04-25
FORMALLY RLRSSED.

ST. Patrick's Fine Bell Consecrated
With Impressive Services - After
Solemn Vespers Bishop Mcmahon
Assisted by all the Priests Formally
Blesses 1.-THE Services Attending
the BlessiHg-An Eloquent Sermon
by Rev. II. W. Brodertck-The Priests
Who Took Part-The Largest He'll
in the City.
Three thousand Roman Catholics and many
people of other denominations witnessed a
most impressive ceremony at st. Patrick's
church yesterday afternoon. 1t was the long
looked for event by the parishioners of the
church, the blessing of the new bell which
will hereafter summon them to their masses
and other services. T..
All the necessary preparations for the for
NAL blessing of the bell were completed yes
terday afternoon. It was placed inside the
altar railing on the east side of the middle
aisle. The bells support was wreathed with
roses and callas from the bottom to the top.
The solemn high vespers attending the
/ ceremony began promptly at $3.50 o'clock.
| All the priests of the city were present, and
many from out of town took part in the SER
| vices. The Gregorian chant was sung in a
| very impressive manner by the many
| priests, and the responses were by the
| church choir of forty voices and the sanctu-
| airy choir of a like number of voices. The
Ri. Rev. Bishop Mcmahon, of Hartford, per-
formed all the exercises of an immediate ma
| ture attending the blessing Of the bell. The
deacons of honor to the bishop were the Rev.
Father Joynt of New London, the Rev. Father
Dolan of Guilford, the Rev. Father Slocum
of Norwalk and the Rev. Father Ryle of st.
Patrick's this city.
&1,oe sc he -
Miss Louise Reilly of st. Patrick's choir rem
dered Nicolai's Ave Maria in a most charming
and impressive manner.
The blessing of the bell came Just before
the benediction. DISQUALIFICATION, at tended
by his deacons of honor and surrounded by
the priests, performed the ceremony accord
ing to the Catholic ritual. The church was
taxed to it's utmost capacity by onlookers. The
long aisles were crowded from the sanctu-
airy raj to the outer doors. The
galleries were likewise filed with
people anxious to get glimpse OF the cere.
monies going on at the altar. Psalms were
chanted throughout the ceremony The bell
was first washed with holy water in all its
parts, inside and out. 1t was then Amounted
with blessed oil. There were amounted on
the bell seven crosses on the outside and
four crosses on the inside Benediction of
the blessed sacrament followed the ceremo-
MES attending the blessing of the bell. The
y.
rick's, gave the benediction.
The Rev. T. w. Broderick of st. Peters
church, Hartford, delivered very eloquent
sermon, which was listened to with the
greatest earnestness.
The ceremony, said he, is sometimes called
the s'baptism of the bell" because the cere-
monies used are akin to those surrounding
the reception of soul into the church. 1t
reminds US of the obligations under which
we lie to restore and preserve the sanctity of
our baptism. The psalms chanted are Sc
lected from among those imploring Gods
mercy and praising him for his protection
because the sound of the bell reminds us that
every good and perfect gift comes from God
and that the surest way to secure it is by
penance and grace.
The speaker then described the different
ceremonies. The bell is washed both inside
and out to typify inward purity and outward
sanctity; that God should see nothing in our
hearts unworthy of his holy gaze and that in
our outward conduct there should be nothing
disedifying to our neighbor.
It is Amounted with holy oils, in the form
of cross and with repeated prayerful in
vocation, because JUNCTION with oil is typical
of soothing grace; the cross, the fountain.
head whence all graces flow to us; and per-
severing prayer the means to obtain them.
The incense is symbolical of the prayer to
which the bell will call us, enjoining us to so
prepare our hearts that our prayers may
ascend to God like incense in his sight.
The bell is given the name of saint to
place it under that saints protection. The
gospel is sung to remind us that this bell
will sing to call us to listen to and practice
evangelical precepts.
This metallic object has sacred mission to
perform. It will be voice that will be the
means of waking our souls, voice that has
a peculiar mission to perform. It will be the
voice that will say: Prepare ye the way for
Al - ia
the mission of an apostle to those stepped in
sin. It will toll out on that day set apart by
God as holy, and at morning and night on
days not set apart for solemn observance it
tolls out the Angelus and all knees do bend
when it is heard far and near. And to-day
one is dead; the bell tolls for him. Perhaps
tomorrow it will toll for us. Such is the
uncertainty of life.
We pray for the one that has gone before,
not knowing how soon we shall follow.
Through all the circumstances of our life this
bell will speak to US. No church is consid-
cred complete without blessed bell in its
tower, the Joy and glory of that church. It
is striking fact that the church uses more
than ordinary ceremonies in setting apart
this metallic object. Because of the nature
of these ceremonies they remind US that when
it rings we should have purer and holier
thoughts.
The services concluded at about O'Clock,
around and viewed the bell.
The first use of bells in Christian churches
to call people to service was by st. Paulius
in Campania about the year 395. By the
Catholic church bells are solemnly blessed
and consecrated for the purpose of summon
ing worshippers to their religious rites. The
conservation of bells dates back to a very
early period, and in old liturgies of the Cath
lie church is form of conservation directing
the priests to wash the bell with holy water,
annoint it with oil and mark it with the sign
of the cross in the name of the Trinity. The
practice of naming is also an early
one. The vesper bell, which has
been immortalized by poets, is
the call to evening prayer. The "passing
bell" was rung by the ancients in order to
remind them to pray for the soul that was
leaving the world, and from this old custom
is probably derived that of tolling bells at
funerals. The ''curfew bell' tolled the knell
of parting day. Since bells were introduced
in churches many very large ones have been
made. The largest bell in cis-Atlantic coun-
tries is the one in the cathedral of Notre
Dame, Montreal, Canada. It's weight is 49,
400 pounds. Though the bell at St. Pat
ricks weighs but 4, 200 pounds it is unques-
tionably the largest in the Elm City.
The services of yesterday will long be re-
membered as gala day in the history of st.
Patrick's. In the front seats were seated two
hundred young children, representatives of
as many families of the parish. They acted as
the sponsors. The following inscription is
on one side of the bell: